Mycobacterium haemophilum infection in canine cerebrospinal fluid.

A 4-year-old female spayed Australian cattle dog was presented to the Emergency Service at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center Small Animal Hospital for generalized pain and lethargy. At presentation, the dog showed severe cervical spinal pain and thoracic limb deficits consistent with a multifocal neuroanatomic localization. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine revealed T2 and T1 postcontrast intense signal extending from the level of the medulla through C5 most marked in the caudal brainstem and cranial cervical spinal cord. The suspected diagnosis was severe meningoencephalomyelitis and secondary edema. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected from the cerebellomedullary cistern revealed a marked mixed pleocytosis with intralesional structures morphologically consistent with Mycobacterium sp. Standard DNA PCR assay performed on the CSF yielded the presence of Mycobacterium haemophilum. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of CNS mycobacteriosis diagnosed on CSF analysis in a dog.

Epidural myelolipoma in a Silken Windhound.

A 12-year-old female spayed, Silken Windhound dog was presented with a 3-month history of lethargy and cervical and lumbosacral spinal pain. No significant abnormalities were noted on CBC or serum biochemical assays. Magnetic resonance imaging of the spine demonstrated a soft tissue mass within the ventral and right epidural space at the level of the L7 vertebra. During surgery, a pale brown mass was identified within the epidural fat. Cytologic and histopathologic examinations demonstrated that the mass was composed of adipose tissue and hematopoietic elements, consistent with a myelolipoma. The lumbosacral spinal pain resolved after surgery. Epidural myelolipomas are rarely reported in the human and veterinary literature.